The Obama campaign’s website was repeatedly hacked during the 2008 campaign, the President revealed today.
In remarks announcing a new cyber security czar, Obama said that between August and October of last year hackers accessed emails, policy papers and other campaign documents.
Fundraising information was never compromised, Obama said, and the campaign worked closely with the FBI and Secret Service to re-secure the website and prevent a future cyber attack.
“It was a powerful reminder: In this Information Age, one of your greatest strengths–in our case, our ability to communicate to a wide range of supporters through the Internet–could also be one of your greatest vulnerabilities,” Obama said.
The White House is creating a new office for cyber security that will work to strengthen the nation’s communication network from potential attacks.
“Just as we do for natural disasters, we have to have plans and resources in place beforehand,” Obama said of a potential cyber attack.
The administration will also launch a campaign to raise awareness about cyber security and improve digital literacy.